Conroy Center Hosts Virtual Author Event
Matthew A. Tallon, Co-Author of
100 Days in Vietnam | June 24, 6:00 p.m.
The Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a virtual visit with Matthew A. Tallon, coauthor with his father, Lt. Col. Joseph F. Tallon, of the new memoir, 100 Days in Vietnam: A Memoir of Love, War, and Survival, on June 24, at 6:00 p.m. This free event will be live-streamed on the Conroy Center’s Facebook page and also accessible on Zoom. To register in advance, please visit the Events tab on the Conroy Center’s website, www.patconroyliterarycenter.org, or Facebook page, www.facebook.com/patconroyliterarycenter.
Praise for 100 Days in Vietnam:
“Joseph Tallon’s story, told through his wartime letters, recollections, and the words of his son, is a moving account of an American family’s experience with war, loss, and remembrance. 100 Days in Vietnam offers readers both a rare window on the final days of our painful national odyssey in Vietnam and a remarkable record of an individual’s determined quest to honor a fallen comrade.”—Ken Burns, filmmaker and director of The Vietnam War, The Civil War, and many other films.
“Superbly written, rife with humility, heart, and a relentless sense of hope and longing, 100 Days in Vietnam is a tale of love, war, recovery, remembrance, and the pursuit to honor those who don’t always get recognized in the after-action reports, the homecoming parades, or the headlines featuring hometown heroes. Former Army pilot Joseph F. Tallon’s day-to-day musings and letters home are at times reminiscent of Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22. Joe Tallon does a great job capturing both the mundane and those life altering moments when mayhem and tragedy strikes. His eldest son, Matthew A. Tallon, a gifted writer and former Army officer, opens and closes the story with prose so beautifully rendered you are compelled to keep reading. Matt writes lovingly of his grandfather, a WWII veteran, whose death is the catalyst that starts the journey to bring this book into the world. With empathy and compassion, both father and son weave a story you will not soon forget.”—Kathleen M. Rodgers, 2020 MWSA Founder’s Award winner and author of The Flying Cutterbucks.
Co-author Matthew A. Tallon is a former US Army transportation officer who served primarily in overseas duty assignments for five years and completed his active-duty commitment as a captain. Matt is a graduate of Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in history and a teaching certification. After completion of his military service, Matt returned to Durham Public Schools to teach high school US history and civics. After graduating from Harvard with a master’s degree in education policy and management, Matt currently serves as the senior project manager for the Public Education Leadership Project, a joint education initiative between the Harvard Business School and Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Learn more at www.matthewtallon.com.
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center is located at 601 Bladen Street in Beaufort and open to the public for tours from noon to 4:00 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays, or other times by appointment. Learn more at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org.
